Look cool in the cold

goes shopping for some interesting winter wear being offered by mid-market international brands in the country

When we were all silly little children, if you wore yellow, you were bound to be greeted by cries of, "yellow, yellow, dirty fellow." To this date, having left my childhood far behind, I am unable to understand the connection between yellow and dirt.

My ruminations on the colour at this time have little to do with childhood idiocy though. The idea is to enlighten the reader that yellow is the colour that clothing retailers have embraced wholeheartedly this time of the year.

Esprit, an international lifestyle brand for winter, has a sprinkling of yellow sweaters as does Mango, the Spanish fashion chain, that, alongwith its rival Zara, is a favourite of fashionistas. Mango has some shirts and acrylic full-sleeved, front-open belted sweaters in yellow that mirror the hues of a mango. Looks delicious and trendy.

Yellow isn't missing at Debenhams either, the British department store that opened its doors recently in India, either. Or, at Marks & Spencer, for that matter. But for all those virulently opposed to the colour, there is absolutely no need to hit the panic button and worry yourself to death about this one being a yellow winter.

As all these high street stores come from across the seven seas, they have lots of greys, blacks and browns for those who want to play it super safe. Black goes with everything, so matching issues don't make you fret and fume everytime you have to get ready this winter.

Grey is, well grey. It can look super smart or super dowdy. Try Red Herring's funnel neck jacket which is 60 per cent wool and is a nice grey. The same brand has a cable belted grey cardi that too has the potential to smarten up one's winter wardrobe.

The label Rocha.John Rocha has a mix gauge smock top which is also in a nice polished hue. Part of the Autograph series, Marks & Spencer has an extremely smart pair of grey trousers with some cashmere in the fabric.

At Marks & Spencer, there are also the regular must-haves for winter "" like a black overcoat made from new wool as well as a brown overcoat with 60 per cent new wool in it.

The overcoat has been a favourite in Delhi for over four seasons now and it would be safe to say that we will still see it being aired even this season, unless the weather plays truant"" which is a possibility since climate change has shown us other atypical and unpredictable winters.

Fur has become one of the most controversial winter- wear materials. People in the West get nasty things thrown at them for daring to come out in the open wearing real fur. And rightly so. Why would anyone want some dead animal on them and think it's high fashion?

Actually, it can look rather nice and rich. Julien Macdonald's collection available at Debenhams has a fake fur black jacket which is just right for a cold, cold winter day. And wearing fake fur can still make you feel glamourous "" but with a conscience. That's not a bad thing at all.

If you are looking for more colour, Betty Jackson, again at Debenhams, has a nice lime green jacket made from a wool blend. Then, there is a single button colour mix jacket, which is a wool and acrylic blend that breaks the grey and black monotony that can sometimes take over one's life in the winter. Tommy Hilfiger also offers a mix of blue, red, green and black in its stores as part of its winter collection.

A cursory survey of winter wear options, post the arrival of these international brands, makes one thing quite clear: that there are more options than ever before to look good and stay warm this year.

Winter, as a season, does belong to these brands as they clearly have more expertise than we do in this segment. So make the most of the arrival of all these labels this season. And remember, there is no longer any excuse to be sloppily turned out now. It's easy to look cool in the cold.